Social Action - Tikkun Olam
At Congregation Or Atid, we place great value on caring for each other and bettering the world around us. In keeping with the Jewish teachings of G’milut Hasadim (acts of loving kindness) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), there are many opportunities for our members to get involved in community service and social action activities.
Below are many of the volunteer opportunities organized by Or Atid. You may participate as an individual or choose an opportunity that works for the whole family. Apply the insights of Jewish tradition to helping those in need and repairing the world one day at a time.
If you would like to volunteer for one or more of these special programs, just email our social action committee at socialaction@congregationoratid.org.
Family Promise
In partnership with our neighbors Peace Lutheran Church, the Islamic Center of Boston, and other local congregations, Or Atid provides and serves meals to homeless families for one or two weeks, several times a year, at the shelter in Natick. It's a wonderful interfaith community effort, as congregants from many local churches and synagogues participate. Help cook meals, set-up, clean-up or food shop! There are also opportunities for teen volunteers. For more information on registering as a volunteer, please go to http://familypromisemetrowest.org/. The "Volunteer" drop down menu explains more about ways to get involved and how to register.
JF&CS Family Table (Waltham)
Jewish Family and Children’s Service in Waltham organizes Family Table, the largest kosher food pantry in eastern Massachusetts, which serves more than 600 individuals every month. Healthy, nutritious food is provided on a monthly and emergency basis to individuals and families in need. Recipients receive groceries including fresh produce, dairy, protein-rich foods, personal hygiene products, and Jewish holiday and ritual items such as challah and Shabbat candles. Family Table relies on the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers from the community and from 58 synagogues and day schools who collect, sort, pack, and deliver groceries to recipient families. Many of our volunteers are children who get invaluable hands-on experience of Tzedakah.
We have a donation box in Or Atid’s entryway. Or Atid has been assigned canned soup and canned vegetables to donate to Family Table. Our monthly minimum is 25 of each of these items. Volunteers are needed each month to drive the donated food from our Or Atid lobby to JF&CS in Waltham. Volunteers can also help organize, pack, and distribute the food. For questions or to be added to our volunteer list, please email familytable@congregationoratid.org.
Community Cooks
Calling all chefs!! We need you!
Or Atid has joined forces with Community Cooks to provide monthly lunches to the Waltham Community Day Center for the homeless. Volunteers prepare lunches in their own homes, and then a volunteer delivers the meals to Waltham. If you would like to volunteer to make lunches or to deliver them, please contact Maggie Rubin at socialaction@congregationoratid.org, to receive an assignment.
Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
People of all ages, professions, backgrounds, and language abilities volunteer to make a difference. You can visit an elderly person, mentor a first-time mother, tutor elementary school students after school, assist in the JFS/MW office, and many other opportunities.
Purim Celebration
Each year in celebrating Purim, we collect food and assorted items to assemble Purim baskets which are distributed by Or Atid families to elderly people in the Metrowest area serviced by Jewish Family Services. Coordinated with the JLCMW, students help bake Hamentaschen, make cards for the recipients, and assemble the baskets with parent volunteers.
A Place To Turn
This food pantry in Natick is committed to providing emergency food and clothing to those in need. In addition to our High Holiday collection, volunteers are needed to organize their own food and toiletry drives throughout the year.
Wayside Hospice
By volunteering to help those at the end of life's journey, and their families, you can provide a valuable service within the community. Hospice volunteers learn the meaning of life and dignity from a unique perspective.
B’Mitzvah Community Service
Every B’Mitzvah student engages in a community service project as part of their year-long preparation for their B’Mitzvah. In the spring, we arrange for our students who are approaching their Bar/Bat Mitzvah to serve a meal at Bristol Lodge in Waltham.
